The last time the Packers played the Rams was last December, when they held a 24-6 lead heading into the final minute. The Rams, led by backup Baker Mayfield, got a garbage time touchdown to lose 24-12. Aaron Jones ran for 90 yards and caught a touchdown, while Romeo Doubs led the team with 55 receiving yards.

Today, the Rams come to town with a backup quarterback again, but things might not be as easy this time.

WHEN THE PACKERS HAVE THE BALL

The Packers offense has been a mess this year.

Sure, they've shined and shown glimpses of being a passable NFL unit, but more often than that, they've ruined drives with stupid penalties and execution errors.

Josh Myers is allegedly playing the best football of his career. He's gonna need to today, because he's facing Aaron Donald, who is fresh off a 2 sack performance after starting the season a little slow. In the past, Elgton Jenkins has held up quite well against Donald, but Jenkins hasn't been at his best this year - his production has suffered playing between an ineffective left tackle and an ineffective center.

Blocking problems have plagued the Packers all season. If they can't stop Aaron Donald, this will get ugly quick. The Rams also have Byron Young and Michael Hoecht rushing off the edge, and each have come up with a few sacks this year. This Rams front is not what it's been in the past, but it's still more than a handful for the 2023 edition of the Packers offensive line.

The pass rush is a big reason why the Rams rank a respectable 13th in passing yards allowed and 3rd in the NFL in passing touchdowns allowed. If the Packers want to move the ball, they'll need to get some quick passes out to their receivers and depend on them to make some plays against a solid, but unspectacular LA secondary.

It sounds so simple, but the Packers haven't been able to get it going. In addition to poor blocking, there's been miscommunications running rampant in the passing game. Matt LaFleur talked about some changes in approach this week. We'll see if it pay dividends in the passing game.

On the ground, Aaron Jones needs to get healthy. The Packers need him to be at his cutback best against a defensive line with the most disruptive interior linemen of this era. AJ Dillon is having a better season than he gets credit for, but he can't be depended on to hammer inside against the Rams front. They're a nice complementary pair on paper, but injuries and poor line play have made them mostly ineffective so far.

All year, we've been waiting for someone to step up on offense. If no one steps up today, the season could get even uglier than it's been.

WHEN THE PACKERS ARE ON DEFENSE

The Packers made news this week by sending Rasul Douglas to Buffalo at the trade deadline. Douglas had been the only healthy and useful cornerback on the team this season. Eric Stokes is on IR and Jaire Alexander is playing through a back injury at less-than-full effectiveness. Darnell Savage is on IR, too, leaving the Packers secondary in a world of hurt.

Meanwhile, the Rams come to town with one of the better receiver tandems in the league. All Pro Cooper Kupp missed September with an injury, but still has two more 100 yard receiving games than everyone on the Packers combined. Opposite him is Puka Nacua (who I wanted the Packers to take), a physical receiver who looks like a rookie of the year candidate and ranks 3rd in the NFL in receiving yards. 

Slot receiver Tutu Atwell is also a weapon. Undersized at 5'9, 165 with 4.39 speed, he can get open deep. With the Packers missing their two fastest defensive backs, he may in for a big day, even if the Rams don't have their starting quarterback.

Brett Rypien looks ready to start for Matt Stafford who injured his thumb last week. Interestingly enough, Brett Rypien was also a player I wanted the Packers to take. 

I wanted the Packers to draft him because he reminded me of Matt Flynn a little and I think he's the prototype for a backup quarterback. He's not a big guy with a strong arm, but he has a compact throwing motion, quick release, and good accuracy. This plays well with a physical receiver like Puka Nacua and a route master who can create space like Cooper Kupp. With Tutu Atwell stretching the secondary, it's still a pretty capable passing group.

Throw in the fact that that the Packers only have 10 pass attempts of film on Rypien in the Rams offense and things get dicey. Given that the secondary will be Jaire with a bad back hanging out with a bunch of special teams guys, the Stafford injury really doesn't guarantee anything for the Packers.

At least the Rams running game hasn't been dominant. After trading Cam Akers and placing both Kyren Williams and Ronnie Rivers on IR, they are starting Royce Freeman and elevated Darrell Henderson to the 53 man roster. The pair combined for just 74 yards rushing last week.

However, the Packers run defense gave Minnesota their first rushing touchdown of the season last week. Missing a lot of talent, and now missing a veteran leader, Green Bay has a lot to prove, even against backups.

OTHER NOTES

The Packers are 3-0 against the Rams under Matt LaFleur... for now

FINAL THOUGHTS

The Packers haven't been playing well.

They're injured, undisciplined, and ineffective. 

And then they traded one of their key veteran leaders.

Players and coaches alike are acting and sounding completely clueless. They are in disarray.

The Packers are now looked at as everyone's get-right game. The banged-up Rams included.

Based on how they've been playing, it's hard to find a reason to pick the Packers to win this game.

So I won't.

I'll go with another battle of ineffectiveness where the Packers come up just a little short.

Again.

Packers 13, Rams 17